


Fullmetal Sorcerer

by Internal_Screaming



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen, Medival AU, Wizard AU, dragon Al
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-01-30 15:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12656190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Internal_Screaming/pseuds/Internal_Screaming
Summary: In a world where alchemy works like magic, the council rules over Amestris, court sorcerers at their disposal.Ed and Al are promising young wizards in a small town, but when their mother dies, they turn to the dark arts to try and get her back.Ed loses his leg and Al is transformed into a beast, in which Ed sacrifices his arm in order to keep his brothers mind intact.(AL IS A DRAGON HECK YA)





	1. Prolouge: 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess what 
> 
> That’s right another fic haha
> 
> This time with medival au
> 
> And dragon Al
> 
> Cause dragons are the shit

“Do we have all the ingredients?” Ed asked, looking over to his younger brother as he dumped the last of the carbon into the bowl that sat in the middle of the basement room. A large transmutation circle was drawn on the floor with white chalk, the floor around it littered with loose paper covered in scribbles. 

Al nodded, looking up at his older brother. A smile drawn across his face, “It’s all here! I measured them all at least 20 times! Everything is exact!” Ed grinned back at his brother and joined him by the bowl.

“And now for the final ingredient!” He declared, then pricked his finger with a pin and squeezed out a drop of his blood into the bowl. Al repeated the process besides him, squeezing out a drop of his own blood into the bowl.. “Are you ready to see mom again?” Ed asked, excitement clear in his voice.

Al nodded enthusiastically, his smile growing even bigger, “the first thing I’m going to do is hug her! I miss moms hugs!”

“Same here lil’ brother,” Ed chuckled, sauntering over to the edge of the circle. 

They both knelt at the circles edge, placing their hands on the circle and preparing to activate it. 

“Ready?” Ed asked.

“Yeah!” Al exclaimed.

With a flash, the circle lit up and crackled with energy. The ingredients in the middle began to rise and swarm, taking shape in the air. The loose papers on the ground began to flutter and lift off the ground, the reaction causing wind to blast through the basement.

Al whimpered beside Ed, catching his attention and turning his head towards him, “what’s wrong Al?” 

“Something feels... something feels wrong,” Al gasped. “The air doesn’t feel... right...”

“It’s just how Necromancy works! My calculations should work!” Ed tried to reassure his brother. Al frowned and looked back at the shape forming in the middle. A humanoid figure took shape, but with a crack, it twisted backwards and began to deform.

“No!” Ed shrieked, “It’s suppose to work!” 

“Brother!”

Ed whipped his head to Al, who stared at his hands in shock. Ed followed his gaze and noticed the grey spots appearing on his skin. “Brother, what’s happening?” Al gasped, looking over to Ed. His eyes widened as they fell on his leg. “E-Ed! Your leg!” Al choked out.

Confused, Ed looked down at his own leg and had to bite back a scream. His left leg had begun to shrivel up, the skin looking like a raisin as is shrunk and crumbled. Panic gripped Eds heart, this wasn’t suppose to happen. This wasn’t part of the formulas, it wasn’t any kind of magic he’d ever encountered before.

He jerked as his mind was torn from his body and flung into a blank abyss, falling into nothing. He felt himself scream as he fell further and further, his mind unable to comprehend what he was experiencing. A Black Door appeared before him, opening up as small hands reached to grab him. He screamed more, terrified of the hands and the door, his voice reaching no one.

Before he knew it, he was dragged through the door and found himself standing on nothing, looking at a blank person who grinned back at him. “You seek the truth, and the toll has been paid,” It laughed.

“T-toll?” Ed whimpered. It gestured to his leg and he looked down in horror, suddenly collapsing to the ground as his left leg shrivelled up into nothingness.

Information flooded his head and he jerked awake with a start. He sluggishly looked up, steam from the reaction flooding the basement floor. In the middle of the floor, a person lay on the ground. “Mom?” Ed whimpered, a hopeful smiling tugging at the corners of his mouth. The steam cleared and he jolted back in horror and choked on a scream, the figure being horribly twisted and deformed. Dark, beady eyes stared through Ed’s soul as it struggled to breath. It then choked and expelled blood through its twisted jaws. With a shutter, it went still. 

“Al...” Ed whimpered. “AL!” He screamed, frantically searching the room for any signs of his little brother. “Al answer me!” He screamed, panic bleeding into his voice. That’s when he noticed the large lump on the other side of the room, it’s breathily heavy and rigged. The thing rose it’s head and turned it’s gaze on Ed, it’s eyes like an animal. 

Ed knew it was Al. 

“No... NO!” Ed screamed as the beasts head fell back to the ground, closing its eyes. “You can’t take my brother from me! Not like this!” He hissed through gritted teeth. 

He grabbed hold of the floor and dragged himself over to the dragon, and looking around frantically for anything to create a circle. His eyes landed on a leather band that had fallen on the floor from the reaction.

Ed snatched it up and used the blood leaking from his left leg to create the circle on the leather, allowing it to soak in. He placed a similar symbol on different areas of his body, then wrapped the band around the dragons wrist. “Take everything... take everything from me if you have to!” Ed screamed as he clipped the band on the wrist as tight as he could. “He’s my little brother... please... he’s my little brother,” Ed grunted, activating the circle. “HE’S MY LITTLE BROTHER!”

Thunder rocked the house as lightning flashed, the circle matching its brightness as it sparked to life. 

Ed felt his right arm begin to crumble and crack, the same curse as his leg.

He fell to his side in pain, the word repeating in his head.

Cursed. Cursed. Cursed.

They were cursed.


	2. Prolouge: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Al wakes up and realizes something is wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much writing. I need to calm down.

Al jerked awake, fog clouding his head. He couldn’t remember anything, if he tried to remember, the fog in his head would only get thicker. Confusion clouded his thoughts and he didn’t know how to react to anything. He could have sworn he saw something moving, but there was so much fog, it was nearly impossible to process. Something touched his wrist, but he didn’t know if he should pull away or find out what was touching it.

He decided not to move it, he was really tired anyway. Someone started to scream words he couldn’t process, and he didn’t know who it was or why they were doing it.

Then there was a flash, and the fog cleared away as if the wind picked up and blew it away, his mind finally clicking to the present and becoming aware of everything around him. They... they tried to bring back mom! Ed and him were performing the ritual when... when...

His mind fogged up again and he shook his head to try and clear it. Which strangely felt weird, like his head was heavier than normal.

He looked down at his hands, maybe he was bleeding? Therefore he would be feeling woozy from blood loss.

His eyes widened when he saw scaly grey talons instead of his normal hands. He shrieked in horror, only it came out more as a rumbling squeak, and stumbled backwards into the wall behind him. What was wrong with his hands?!

Something crashed besides him and he jumped in shock, looking over at a knocked over shelf and seeing a tail... no... HIS TAIL twitching in different directions every third second.

Why did he have a tail?

His mind snapped to his older brother, did the same thing happen to him? “Brother..!” Al croaked, his voice feeling unnatural. “Brother! Where are you?”

He scanned the room, quickly noticing his older brother on the floor by his feet, in a puddle of blood. Panic flooded his system, his big brother was... was...

He reached to pick up Ed, the only thing running through his mind being to find help, find someone to save Ed. But he hesitated when he noticed his talons once again. The curved claws could leave such a nasty gash if he wasn’t careful, and he didn’t want to hurt big brother any more than he already was. He clenched his fist, then dropped on all fours and carefully padded over to Ed, dipping his head under his brother and nudging him onto his neck. When he was sure Ed wouldn’t slip off, he lifted his head and carefully made his way up the stairs of the house, taking enough time as to not trip over his own feet or drop his brother, but fast enough to be in a hurry.

Once he mastered the stairs, he sped up, learning how to feel for when his brother would slip too far on one side and how to nudge him back without slowing down. He rushed outside into the storm, heading straight to granny Pinako’s house.

Within seconds, he was on their wet porch, Ed in front of him as he banged on the door, he didn’t like how much blood was washing through the cracks of the deck. Ed needed help NOW.

He banged on the door again, more aggressively this time as his impatience grew. Please... please...

The door slid open, a small older woman waddling into view as she muttered under her breath. “Who could it be at this hour-?” Pinako froze when she spotted Edward bleeding on the ground, then her gaze trailed upwards to the dragon that shielded him from the rain. Fear flashed through her eyes as she looked up at the dragon who loomed over both her and Ed.

“Granny Pinako... please,” Al begged, causing the old woman to flinch as she recognized the voice. “He’s dying... please help him,” he pleaded, his voice shaking with sorrow and fear.

Pinako straightened up, slowly piecing together what she was witnessing, “bring him inside,” she ordered as she twisted on her heel and strode back inside.

Al fumbled after her, gently picking his big brother back up and placing him on the floor indoors. Pinako rushed back with a leather bag, placing it beside Ed and pulling out bandages and herbs. Al hovered over her shoulder, watching every movement and growing tense when Ed would hiss in pain or stop breathing for a millisecond.

Once Pinako finished binding the last of his wounds, she twisted on Al, fury burning in her eyes. “What did you boys DO?!” She shrieked, throwing her arms in the air as Al flinched away.

“We... we...” Al stuttered, finding an interesting spot on the floor to stare at. He shrunk down even further, seeming much smaller than before as his tail curled protectively around him. Pinako suddenly realized the wetness that ran down his snout and dripped on the floor wasn’t rain. The dragon shook as he tried to force words out, his voice catching on the sobs stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry...” he forced out, lowering his head even closer to the ground. “I should’ve... we just wanted to see Mom again...” he whimpered, covering his face with his talons as he choked on his words. “We thought it would work. We just wanted to see her smile again. We didn’t want this... we just wanted Mom back...!”

The dragon shook on the floor, the innocence of his voice echoing on the walls of the house.

Pinako sighed. She should’ve seen this coming. The boys were so secretive after their mother’s death, mix that with their brilliance and she should’ve known they would turn to the forbidden art.

She sat down besides the dragon and patted him on the head, lighting up her pipe as she did so. Al stopped shaking at her touch, afraid of what she might do. “It’s alright, you’re both alive... that’s what matters,” She soothed, stoking his head in an attempt to calm him.

Al hesitated, but leaned his head on Granny Pinako’s lap. “I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...” he whimpered over and over. Pinako remained silent, looking over to Ed before shaking her head.

They were just broken hearted boys who made a stupid decision.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor poor boys.


	3. Prolouge: 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy heads out to find two talented sorcerers council scouts had found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check it out, another chapter!
> 
> I hope anyone reading this is enjoying it and thanks for the support!

Roy looked at the scrolls in his hand, re-reading the files for the fiftieth time. Then he raised his head and looked around at the endless hills that surrounded him. “Are you sure this is where these two live?” Roy asked his second in command, Hawkeye.

Hawkeye nodded, the horses they rode swaying them both from side to side. “That’s what it says. Two brothers, aged 31 and 30, with promising abilities in magic,” she recited from the report.

Roy muttered under his breath, complaining about the long trip they had to take to get here. He noticed one of the residents of the village walk past them, carrying a large sack over his shoulder. “Excuse me, do you live in these parts?” Roy asked, tugging on the reigns on his horse to make it stop.

“That I do,” the villager answered, dumping the sack on the ground. “What brings such high council members to our small town?” He asked.

“We are looking for two brothers,” Roy explained, looking back at his report. “An Edward and Alphonse Elric?” 

“Oh boy, what did those boys do to get noticed by the council?” The villager gasped. “Man, and they’re such good kids...”

“K-kids?” Roy stuttered.

“Yeah, only 11 and 10 years old. You know, it might’ve been Ed... probably kicked a guard or something. Kid isn’t that big on authority,” he pondered.

“But... the report says they’re 31 and 30!” Roy exclaimed.

“It appears the report is wrong, sir,” Hawkeye blatantly pointed out.

“I see that now!” Roy snapped. He growled as he re-read the report once again. Stupid scouts, how does someone mess up that bad?

“Well, the boys live just past that hill, there’s a large oak tree next to the house. You can’t miss it. If they aren’t there, then you may be able to find them at the Rockbell’s, their house is the closest to the boys house, about a five minute walk,” the villager explained with a smile. “They’re good boys, so don’t go taking them away from us!” With that being said, he picked up his sack and continued on his way.

Roy sighed in defeat, slouching on his horse. “We might as well check it out anyway, we came this far,” he huffed.

Hawkeye said nothing, following close behind her commander as he rode ahead towards the Elric house. 

——

The man was right, the house wasn’t hard to miss once they passed the hill.

They tied the horses to a nearby fence and strode up to the house. Roy froze before stepping up to the door. There was a horrible stench in the air, one that was all too familiar.

He raised his hand, ready to snap and turned his gaze to Hawkeye, who drew her bow and had already notched an arrow. She nodded in response to his gaze and they both cautiously approached the house. 

Roy slowly pushed the door open and scanned the room, noticing a trail of blood leading from the front door to the stairs leading to the basement. He felt a stone drop in his gut, did someone come and murder these kids?

They both followed the trail to the stairs when Hawkeye stopped him. “Sir, the floor is scratched up as well,” she whispered, gesturing to the marks on the wood that followed the trail of blood.

“An animal attack?” Roy asked, peering into the darkness of the basement. 

“Possibly, the smell seems to be coming from down there,” Hawkeye noticed. 

Roy nodded, then slowly descended down the stairs, expecting something to leap out from the darkness and attack him.

They reached the bottom and Roy snapped, lighting up the place.

Hawkeye gasped behind him and Roy stifled a gag, taking in the scene around him.

Large amounts of blood was pooled in the middle of the room as well as in the edge of the room near some fallen shelves. Some sort of corpse lay rotting in the middle of the room in the pool of blood, flies already gathering around it. It was the source of the horrible stench.

What Roy noticed right away was the large circle on the floor, one that was nearly covered by all the blood. “Those idiots...” he hissed.

Hawkeye followed his gaze, then noticed the circle as well. “What now?” She asked, lowering her bow.

Roy growled and turned quickly on his heel, storming up the stairs and out of the house, Hawkeye right behind him. He looked around and spotted another house, which he guessed was the Rockbells. Stomping down the stairs, he quickly strode towards the other building.

When approaching the house, he managed to calm his nerves and not tear down the door when he knocked.

A voice inside was heard before a small blonde girl with big blue eyes opened the door. She looked up at Roy and tilted her head, “can I help you?” She asked.

“I’m looking for Edward and Alphonse Elric,” he stated, keeping his physical exterior calm in front of her despite his growing anger. Her expression changed, turning from confused to worried. 

“Grandma?” She called, keeping her eyes on the two council members.

“What is it dear?” Another voice called from within the house.

“There... there are two council members here looking for Ed and Al,” she called back.

There was a pause, then an audible sigh was heard as an older woman stepped into view. “The boys are sick, try coming back another time,” she growled as she attempted to close the door in his face.

Roy managed to wedge his foot in the way of the door and the doorframe, preventing her from doing so. “With all due respect ma’am, I saw the house,” he muttered, lowering his head to her level.

Her eyebrows rose in shock, then furrowed into a scowl. “And you expect me to let you in so you can arrest them? They’re just boys,” she hissed. “They already received their punishment.”

“I only wish to talk to them,” Roy argued, his anger fading based on her last comment. What did she mean, ‘they already received their punishment’?

“Why should I trust you? You could be lying as a way to try and get into my house,” she growled back.

“Would you rather I burn down the door and force my way in, and report it as resistance to a councillors commands?” He asked, playing his council card. She glared up at him, but opened the door fully once again, letting them inside. 

She walked to the other side of the room, going through a door to another room, “I’ll get some tea for your friend, so feel free to sit. Winry can you show Mr....” she trailed off, looking back at Roy as he removed his cloak and placed it on a hook near the door.

“Mustang. Roy Mustang,” he introduced.

She raised her eyebrows once more, acknowledging the name, “Mr. Mustang to Ed and Al’s room?” She finished.

Winry looked up nervously at Roy, but didn’t question her grandmother as she led him up the stairs. After leading him down the hall, she stopped before a closed door and looked up at Roy again, worry etched on her face. “Please don’t take them away Mr. Mustang,” she begged. Roy looked down at the girl in surprise, the look in her eye being that of familiarity, as if she had seen someone be taken away from her before.

He put on a smile, trying to calm the girl, “don’t worry, I just want to talk to them,” he assured. She didn’t look convinced as she sulked back to the stairs and descended down them.

He opened the door and froze when he spotted a golden haired boy in the middle of the room, only it was what was BEHIND him that made him freeze. A medium sized dragon, clearly quite young as it was about the size of a wolf, lay behind the boy. Medium grey scales covered its body with a row of longer golden scaled spikes that layered over each other ran down its back, flecks of gold speckling away from the spikes on its back and side as well. Specks of gold scales also covered its round snout, a lot like freckles, and it’s claws and horns were a deep grey. The beasts eyes suddenly opened, golden like the scales that ran down it’s back, then caught Roy staring at him and Ed. Panic flooded its eyes as it’s back arched and it’s tail curled closer to the boy it was wrapped around, almost protectively. He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the idea as to why it was protective or how a fledgling DRAGON got into the house, until his mind snapped back the Older woman’s words.

They already received their punishment.

The boy was missing an arm and a leg, and the other brother seemed to be nowhere in sight, which meant...

The dragon was the other brother.

“Why did you do it?” Roy asked, unable to stop himself from asking.

The dragon looked from Roy to the boy it was- no, HE was curled around, remaining tense and unsure. Then he opened his mouth, “we just wanted to see our mom again.”

Roy nearly flinched as the dragon spoke, the unnaturalness of the young sounding voice coming from the reptile throwing him off, but began to understand. 

These were two young boys who were learning and excelling in alchemic magic, based on the report, lost their mother and thought they could bring her back. He looked at the boy, he hadn’t lifted his head yet, but he didn’t appear to be asleep. “Will you live like this then?” He asked, “cursed by the mistakes your decisions brought down on you?”

The boy shifted, still not looking up. They dragon couldn’t even meet his eyes.

“The council is looking for new magicians. Sorcerers and Sorceress’s. Witches and Wizards. The fact that you both performed such a dangerous and forbidden art and survived is enough proof that you have skill,” he stated. 

The dragons eyes widened, now recognizing his authority and what he could do to them if he were to report his findings to the council.

“We have a large amount of resources, favoured by those with personal projects. I can personally put a recommendation into the council if you ever wish to join,” he stated as he stood up. The boy was finally looking at him, their eyes meeting before he turned around to leave the room, “I was sent here to extend and offer to the two of you, and if you were to join... I guess I could turn a blind eye to your... predicament.”

“Wait! You aren’t here to arrest us?” The dragon cried out, confusion lining his words.

“Not today, it seems you already received your punishment for dabbling in the dark arts,” he simply stated, then left the room.

He walked down the stairs, his boots clicking on the steps as he reached the bottom, “let’s head back Hawkeye,” he ordered, tugging on his cloak. 

She quickly stood up from beside Winry with a ‘sir!’ and strode in his direction, nodding a ‘goodbye’ towards Winry before closing the door behind them.

“You didn’t arrest them sir? You seemed extremely pissed off earlier and were ready to arrest them both for performing an attempted necromancy,” Hawkeye questioned as they strode towards their horses.

Roy shook his head, his hands in his pockets, “they already received a punishment for their actions, so instead of breaking them any more than they were, I gave them an opportunity.”

“And will they take it?” Hawkeye asked.

“From the fire I saw burning in the one boys eyes, I have no doubt they will,” Roy chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of the prolouges! Now to delve into the next chapters!


	4. Welcome to Reole!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Al follow the trail of the philosopher stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Bit of a hiccup happened.
> 
> But it’s here now!

Ed shoved his hands roughly in the pockets of his red cloak, his hood pulled over his face to avoid the beating sun from burning his face as a large grey wolf with golden streak down its back trotted by his side. He looked over at the various stands selling different products as he walked over to a shaded bar. “Well Al, this seems to be Reole. Where shall we start looking?” He asked, leaning against the wall of the bar and enjoying the coolness of the shade. A gentle voice drummed through the streets as it droned on about Leto the sun God.

The wolf looked up, then his gaze trailed to the crowd, “we could ask around? Discretely ask about the possible stone?” He suggested. Ed nodded, looking over to the bar tender who looked at the wolf in shock. “Hey old guy! You probably get a lot of gossip, catch any conversations about sorcery in these parts?” Ed asked.

The old man who was staring at the wolf in disbelief looked at Ed, then at the wolf again. “Oh! You’re a wizard!” He exclaimed suddenly. “That wolf must be a familiar! Now it makes sense. Don’t see too many of those anymore.”

“Old man! Hey!” Ed snapped his fingers in front of the mans face, catching his attention again. “Magic? Heard anything about it?”

He smiled and leaned on the bar table, “of course! Father Cornello is the guy for miracles. Performs what I recon is magic, but more... how would I put it? Miracle-y? I bet you could learn a thing or two from him!” He chuckled.

Ed twitched an eyebrow in annoyance, not quite liking that last comment. “Well, could you point me in the right direction? I want to see how he performs some of these...” Ed paused. “Miracles.”

“Of course! Of course! He’s at the church in the middle of town. Can’t miss it. Usually he will put on ceremonies. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of miracle do you wish to find?” He asked. “Some people ask for fame or money, even power! Maybe you would ask for the miracle of becoming taller?”

Ed snapped, twisting on the man and shrieking, “WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU CANT EVEN SEE IF I WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU?!” The man jerked back, holding his hands in front of him in defence as Al grabbed hold of Ed’s collar and kept him from murdering the man as he kicked and flailed, then dragged him away from the bar. 

The man noticed something shift in the wolf’s form as it dragged the screaming sorcerer away, like a mirage. The two rounded the corner and the man shrugged, thinking it was just a trick of the heat. He suddenly turned back towards the small wizard, remembering an extra detail he forgot to tell him about the Priest, but he had already disappeared. With a shrug, he went back to cleaning his dishes.

“Brother, you have to be careful. This illusion doesn’t hold up that well when I’m interacting with others, which includes you!” Al scolded as he dropped Edward on the ground, the wolf illusion falling back into place.

“Well, then don’t stop me when I’m about to slug someone who insults me!” Ed huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. “It was just going to be one little punch!” 

Al rolled his eyes, twisting his head around to look behind him. “I’ll find which direction to go, then follow you from the rooftops. I had a hard time holding up the illusion in those streets, everyone keeps staring.”

Ed patted his brother on the back, shattering the illusion and revealing the grey dragon that loomed over him, yet had his head lowered in a shy way. “It’s just because people don’t see a lot of familiars, these people won’t be able to see through your illusions Al. You won’t have to keep it up for much longer though, we are so close to finding this Cornello guy. Miracles my ass, I bet this guy has the stone which means we may finally be able to get our bodies back!” 

Al gave him a toothy grin, “Yeah! Two years of searching, and we are finally getting close!”

Ed looked back into the street, “ready to go?” 

“More than ever,” Al grinned. He crouched, his tail flicking from side to side like a cat, then leapt up the wall, gracefully landing on the edge and not making a sound. He crouched on the roof, eyes flicking around to the streets below to see if any eyes were trailing up in his direction. Cautiously, he lifted up his head and scanned around the town, quickly spotting the large church in the distance. “I see it, north of us,” Al whispered to Ed. “Meet you there?”

Ed smirked, “how about a race? See who’s faster!”

“We have to lay low though,” Al tilted his head, frowning in disapproval.

“If you win, I’ll get you some pie tonight!” Ed bribed. Al perked up, his tail flicking to the side. “And if I win, I get to brag about how I’m faster than a DRAGON!”

“Alright brother! You’re on!” Al grinned. “And I want a FULL pie!”

“You got it buddy, but only IF you win!” Ed countered.

“I doubt your short legs will be able to keep up with me!” Al jokingly mocked.

Ed twitched, “... hoW DARE-“

“321GO!” Al chirped, pushing himself forward and disappearing over the rooftops with a flash.

Ed could only stare in disbelief before snapping himself out of his daze and running north. Al had to be sneaky on his way to the church, hiding and waiting every so often as to avoid suspicion of so much activity on the rooftops. Ed only had to shove people out of his way as he made a beeline for the building he had never even seen, which he was now beginning to realize that Al had an advantage of knowing where the building was as he made his way towards it.

He dove through alleyways and ducked under people’s arms, spotting the large cathedral ahead of him and speeding up. With a gasp, he pulled himself free of the crowd and dashed up the steps of the building. He slammed his hand on the door and grinned. “I made it here first!” He exhaled, taking in deep breaths.

“Nope! A minute too late brother,” Al laughed. 

Ed whipped his head around to see the grey wolf sitting beside him, a paw on the door. “But- I don’t-“ Ed stuttered, looking between the wolf and the door in disbelief.

“I used illusions brother, made myself look like a cloud and glided over here. You never said I COULDN’T use magic,” Al pointed out with a shit-eating grin.

Ed couldn’t help but smile, “you sneaky lil’ brother you!” He sighed as he turned and leaned against the giant door. “I guess I have to buy you a pie now, huh?”

“Apple!” Al clicked.

“Apple pie it is, ready to talk to this Cornello person?” Ed asked.

Al nodded, standing up and trotting over to Ed’s side.

Before Ed could finish reaching out to push the door open, it opened from within and a young woman yelped in surprise when she spotted the duo. Her gaze shifted quickly between Ed and Al, then connected the pieces and let out a small sigh. 

“I was worried another wolf wandered into town! I see now that it must be your familiar,” she smiled. Ed frowned.

“HE is my companion, yes. What do you mean, ‘another wolf’?” Ed asked, giving in to his curiosity.

The woman shrugged, “one wandered into town about a year ago, we assumed it was just extremely lost. All it did was drink some water then leave. Very odd.”

Ed wasn’t convinced, wolves inhabit heavily wooded areas with lots of prey, and grasslands surrounded the desert. Yet it was possible that it crossed the grasslands and then the desert. He couldn’t fathom why though. “I’m Rose,” she introduced herself. “You must be a wizard, based on your cloak and familiar.”

“I prefer companion, Al is more of a friend than something I... own,” Ed hissed the last word. 

“Nice to meet you!” Al politely dipped his head. Rose jumped in surprise, then rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. 

“I forgot they can talk,” she admitted. “Not a lot of familiars these days, nice to meet you too... Al was it?”

Al nodded as he looked from Ed to Rose. Ed gave a slight nod to Al, then turned back to Rose. “ I heard some rumours about a man called Cornello performing miracles, is that why you’re here?”

Rose nodded, her hand clasped in front of her, “he performs many miracles, like bringing back the dead,” both Ed and Al froze at her statement. “He is the vessel that the Sun God Leto performs his will through,” Rose whispered, awe lacing her voice.

“I doubt that,” Ed bluntly stated, causing Rose to quickly look up and meet his stern eyes.

“He has!” Rose argued, quickly taking defence on the subject. 

Ed stared her down, his fists clenched as Al worriedly looked between the two. Ed then relaxed and shrugged, “believe what you want, but know that the only miracles are just pure dumb luck. Bringing someone back from the dead isn’t luck, more as a curse. Cornello is feeding you lies, he’s only using alchemy. And even alchemy has its limits, if you’re smart enough, you’ll be able to see through those illusions.” With that being said, Ed walked past the young woman and into the cathedral, Al close behind Ed but still glancing Rose a worried look.

Once far enough away, Al spoke to Ed in a hushed voice. “I think you went too far brother. She just doesn’t understand, like we didn’t understand when we tried bringing Mom back...”

“It would do her good to figure out illusion from reality, it would save her they pain we faced,” Ed simply stated as he waved down a passing priest. “Hey! We want to speak to a ‘Father Cornello’! Tell him that Edward Elric wishes to talk to him!”

The priest looked over the pair, then left the room. Ed shrugged and slumped in one of the many benches that filled the room. “Do you think it will really be this easy?” Al asked.

“Of course not. Yet the road to get here hasn’t been too easy ever since those Dragon Slayers don’t give up too easily, and the research itself isn’t that easy either,” Ed noted.

“I doubt Cornello would just give out the stone if we accuse them. Not to mention the lies he’s spread won’t stop,” Al agreed.

The priest reappeared, in which Ed stood up in response. “Father Cornello isn’t seeing anyone at the moment, he is a very busy man,” the priest simply put. Ed frowned, placing his hands on his hips. 

“Too busy, even to speak with a council member?” Ed pried, trying to push the conversation to his advantage.

“Yes,” the priest growled, then spun on his heel and left the room. 

Ed huffed in annoyance, “that usually works.”

“What do we do now, brother?” Al asked.

Ed shrugged, twisting around and walking back towards the door. “We stick around, see if we can get an audience with this Cornello guy, maybe even dig up some dirt on him to use to our advantage.”

“We can’t just blackmail him!” Al yelped.

“Of course we can! It’s very effective in getting information,” Ed grinned.

“It’s not a morally good way of getting information!” Al argued.

“That high councilman uses it on us,” Ed pointed out, then proceeded to mimic Roy Mustang’s voice quite poorly. “Listen here Fullmetal, if you don’t clean my washroom, I will personally hand your brother over to the dragon slayers and put you on trial for attempted necromancy!”

“We know he wouldn’t do that,” Al whimpered.

“He’s an asshole, Al. He likes to use me to rise in the ranks and get all his precious promotions. He wouldn’t hand us in because it would look bad on his part for recommending us to join the council in the first place. Doesn’t mean he keeps threatening us with the possibility of it though.”

“He doesn’t use you, he just likes messing with you,” Al simply put.

Ed looked over in confusion, “how do you know?”

Al shrugged, “It’s a feeling. Some people give off good vibes, and others give off bad vibes. Councilman Mustang gives off good ones.”

“I don’t believe you,” Ed huffed.

“You give off lots of good vibes, brother,” Al pointed out.

“Now I KNOW you’re lying,” Ed laughed.

“Just because your solution to 90% of your problems is punching, doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person in general,” Al acknowledged.

“Whatever you say little brother,” Ed grinned.

Al shook his head, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to convince Ed to change his opinion of Councilman Mustang. He was just too stubborn that way. “Will we really use blackmail against him?” Al asked, switching back on topic.

“Only if he gives off those bad vibes you feel,” Ed promised.

Al frowned, but said nothing more as he turned his attention ahead of them. “Look, it’s that girl from earlier, Rose,” Al suddenly pointed out. Ed followed his gaze and spotted her as well, an evil smirk growing on his face as he got an idea.

“Hey there, we meet again!” Ed called, catching Rose’s attention. “Turns out I really want to join your religion, can you tell me all about it?” He said as he suckered up to her.

Her eyes suddenly lit up and she clasped her hands in front of her, “Of course! I’m so glad you are able to see Leto’s light!” 

Ed nodded a bit too enthusiastically, “yep! I saw the light and want to know everything there is to know about Lebo and the church positions and the people in charge!”

Al sighed, Ed’s lack of subtly being quite obvious. But Rose didn’t seem to notice it as well as he did. “It’s Leto, but you’ll know everything soon enough!” Rose explained, gleefully taking his hand and dragging him in a new direction. “Father Cornello is going to perform a miracle in the square today, we can see that first to solidify your faith!” 

Ed twisted to Al and gave him a shit-eating grin as he was dragged by Rose towards the square, getting exactly what he was aiming for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the adventure! (Do not fret, the series will not follow the manga word for word, I just like to start in a familiar place hehe)


	5. Priest of Leto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Al overthrow a corrupt priest by having him talk too much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Bit of a WARNING: there is mention of an exploding hand, not super detailed but still... gore-ish?)
> 
> I’m going to come clean. I have like no set update schedule. It’s mostly just me getting spurts Of motivation and rolling with it.
> 
> So just because I haven’t updated in a few months, doesn’t mean it’s dead! Just means my motivation is elsewhere. If it’s been abandoned since 2015... well... um...
> 
> ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! :D

Ed stood near the middle of the crowd with Rose while Al hung near the back, his illusion only working if people believed he was a wolf and if no one actually touched him. It was a lot harder than it looked though, especially when small children thought he was just an overgrown dog and tried to pet him. It was even harder since Al refused to growl at them or scare them away, instead just staying out of their reach and eventually making it a game of ‘try and catch the big doggy’. 

Al eventually pulled into the shadows and climbed to the roof of a nearby building as to get a better view and not worry about any unnecessary discoveries. Ed looked back and caught his eye, then nodded to indicate him noting his location and turning his attention back to the stage. “So, what miracle is this Cornello guy going to perform today?” Ed asked Rose, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he said the word ‘miracle’.

Rose must’ve missed the sarcasm as she answered enthusiastically, “It’s different every time, nobody can predict when Leto will grant his power or how!”

“Bullshit,” Ed harshly huffed under his breath, not buying anything she said.

“Pardon?” Rose asked, half distracted by the activity on the stage a few metres in front of them.

“I said ‘Incredible’!” Ed lied, turning his attention to the stage as well.

He glanced back at Al, noticing the fledglings focus on the stage before looking back as a voice boomed over the crowd. “Good afternoon Reole! Leto has granted me his power, and now I’ll show you the extent of his powers!”

“Voice distribution alchemy,” Al’s voice echoed in his head, causing Ed to flinch.

“I told you to warn me before you use telepathy alchemy,” Ed internally groaned, “your voice is extremely loud when you use it.”

“Sorry brother,” Al apologized, his voice slightly lowering as he tried to control the volume of it. 

“But you’re right, it is voice distribution. Though I didn’t notice him use anything to concentrate the magic,” Ed internally noted, trying to see who Cornello was and if he was holding anything. In order to properly use alchemy, you needed a circle. If it was a type of magic that required directional proportions, you needed an item to concentrate and direct the magic or risk it backfiring back onto yourself and using the spell on yourself. He quickly identified Cornello as the largest man in the middle of the stage, his arms held above him as he addressed the crowd. But he didn’t notice anything to distribute his voice distribution magic, was he really risking going deaf by not using anything to concentrate his alchemy?

He continued to watch as the man made flowers grow from nothing, then proceeded to turn them into birds and set them free into the air. Ed narrowed his gaze, none of this was possible. There should some sort of rebound from all of this, there was no logic or laws being obeyed! Nothing was balanced!

A smirk crossed his face. “I think we found it Al,” he thought.

“Do you really think he’s using a philosopher stone?” Al thought back.

“How else would he break the rules of alchemy without any rebounds?” Ed responded.

“See Edward? Pure miracles!” Rose snapped him out of his telepathic talk with Alphonse, shaking his arm as she pointed at the fake magic. 

“I see now,” Ed nodded, falling back in his act. “Hey Rose, would there be some way you could help me talk to Cornello? There are some things of my own I need miracles for,” he pleaded, putting a strain of need in his voice as if he were desperate. “Before I didn’t believe because I didn’t think it would be possible, but now-“

Rose was already convinced, “of course I can help you! I’ll bring you to him myself once he’s done! He already helped me so he’ll be glad to help you!”

Ed hid his smirk as she led him out of the dispersing crowd and back towards the cathedral, Al quickly catching up and sticking close to his side as they made their way up the steps. “I thought we couldn’t see him before?” Al whispered to Ed as Rose led them inside.

“Rose here is going to personally see us to the high priest!” Ed grinned. “All I had to do was pretend I desperately needed a miracle!” He cackled.

“Don’t we kind of DO desperately need a miracle?” Al tilted his head.

Ed sputtered, “I-. That’s not-! You know what I mean!”

They all stopped at a large oak door, which Rose gently knocked on, “Father? I brought a new follower desperately looking for a miracle!”

A muffled voice came from the other side, “oh, come in! Come in!”

The trio entered the room, and stood before a large middle aged man with a bald head. Ed grunted as he looked over man more closely, this was the person who possessed the philosopher stone? The great miracle worker himself? “Ah! So you’re the court wizard who’s been sniffing around town!” The priest hummed. Ed crossed his arms, noticing two other men enter the room silently out of the corner of his eye.

“You know how it is, ‘miracles’ start showing up and we need to figure out how much of it is illusions needing to be revealed. Luckily, you got me instead of some other dog who would be more forceful,” Ed boasted, grinning as he met the priest gaze. “See, I’ve been looking high and low for a miracle, and when I found out you were handing them out? Hoo boy, was I overjoyed!”

The door behind them silently shut with a small click.

“Well, today is your lucky day, now isn’t it Mr.Elric?” The priest grinned.

Edward tensed up, suddenly aware how much this priest may already know. “I see you’ve heard of me,” Ed cooly noted.

“Why, the youngest Court Wizard in the continent who also happens to be a prodigy? Who hasn’t heard of you?” The priest simply put. Ed narrowed his gaze as the Priest leaned forward. “But are you really here for a miracle?”

Suddenly, both men drew blades behind him. One grabbed him by his cloak and pressed a dagger to his throat and the other flung two throwing knives at Al, catching him by surprise and knocking him to the ground as the blades buried into his side and neck. “AL!” Ed yelped, but the blade at his throat kept him from running to his brothers side.

“What are you doing, Father?!” Rose shrieked, backing away in fear as she stared wide eyed at the men she trusted threaten to dig the blade into Ed’s throat. 

“These people are here to destroy our beliefs, Rose,” Cornello cooed. “This boy wants to take me away and destroy the belief of Leto! Take away our miracles! He and the entire council are bad people, Rose! And that means we need to make them leave.” 

“Don’t believe his lies! He’s a fake! He’s using you and all these people!” Ed hissed, kicking against the man holding him.

“Shut him up,” Cornello ordered.

Before the man could dig the blade deeper into Ed’s throat, Al bit down on his arm and tugged it away from his brother, revealed in his true form. Ed dropped to the ground and twisted under the large form of his brother, cheekily grinning as the man choked on his on breath and stumbled away when Al let go of his arm, which didn’t even have any holes based on the fact that he didn’t intend on actually biting the man. “Kind Of hard to stab through thick dragon hide with kitchen knives, now isn’t it?” Ed gloated as he patted his brothers chest.

Rose screamed in terror as she stumbled backwards and the other man shakily aimed his weapon at Al. Ed frowned as he realized that everyone’s attention was on Al now. “Maybe next time you will think before trying to hurt someone for no reason,” Al gently lectured as he dipped his head towards the man with the throwing knives.

“It’s-! It’s a dragon! Call the DragonSlayers!” Rose cried, backing away as she trembled with fear. Al dipped his head even lower, hunching his shoulders as he curled his tail around his feet, visibly distraught by Rose’s screams.

“I won’t hurt you Rose,” he whimpered, circling around Ed and ducking behind him. “Just because I look like this doesn’t mean I will act like a beast...”

“Don’t bother with them, Al,” Ed sighed. “It’s not like they would understand.”

“How- how is it here?!” Cornello wailed, fully against the wall as he glared at Ed. “How did a CHILD manage to get a dragon to obey his commands?!”

“Newsflash, ASSHOLE!” Ed hissed. “Al is my brother! Get a good look, Rose! We tried to bring back the dead and this is our punishment!” Rose flinched as Ed directed his last comment at her. 

Cornello peeled himself off the wall, a sly smile creeping up on his face. “You performed necromancy, didn’t you? The only way someone could change form so throughly is if they were cursed!”

“Necromancy?” Rose whimpered.

Ed silently took off his jacket, revealing his metal arm as he glared at Cornello. “Take a good look, Rose. This is what happens when you cross into God’s domain.”

“So, you seek to use the philosopher stone to bring back the person you failed to bring back the first time?” Cornello cooed.

“Shut up!” Ed snapped. “You think I would make that mistake again? I’m getting our original bodies back, and fixing the wrongs I created!”

“So noble of you, thinking only of yourself!” Cornello grinned.

“What about you? Conning all these people in believing lies?” Ed’s eyes twitched to his brother, giving a small nod that Cornello failed to notice.

“I’m not conning anyone! I’m bringing them real miracles!” Cornello preached.

“At what end? You already tried killing me,” Ed shrugged. “Why so desperate to shut me up?”

“Desperate? You think I’m desperate? I have hundreds of people following me, who would die for me believing they are invincible! In a few years I will have thousands! An army that doesn’t fear death!” Cornello grinned.

“You realize what you just told us?” Ed asked, eyes darting to the stunned Rose.

He followed his gaze and laughed. “Do you think one girl will convince this town of my true goal? No one will believe her! A sacrifice I am willing to make!”

Ed picked his ear, then continued to look at his finger, “oh, I didn’t mean just us. I meant the whole town, us.”

Cornello froze. Al had opened the window and activated a sound distribution spell so their conversation was carried across town. He cheekily grinned, showing off razor sharp teeth. “I think the whole town heard you!”

“You-!” Cornello gasped. “You-! YOU BRAT! HOW LONG HAS THAT SPELL BEEN UP?!” 

“Long enough,” Ed grunted.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-!”

Ed snapped up at the word ‘little’, leaping into the air and planting his foot in Cornello’s face. He dug his foot in and leaned forward, “now would you be so kind as to hand over the stone?” 

Cornello squirmed, then snapped his fingers. Bursts of air circled around him as Ed was flung backwards and Al quickly shielded Rose with his body. “You May have ruined my plans, but I still have the stone! I can make everyone forget what you just told them! Start back anew! I can even force you to forget who you are!” Cornello screamed, raising in the air as the air magic intensified. “But it would be much more satisfying just to kill you!” He flung his hand at Ed, activating a blade of razor air magic.

Before Ed could react, it exploded before being released, destroying Cornello’s hand and flinging the mess in multiple directions.

Cornello stared in horror, before the air magic vanished and he crashed to the floor, screaming in agony. “A rebound?” Ed whispered.

Al continued to shield Rose from the scene, pretty sure she wouldn’t want to see the fingers that were spread around the room. 

“Show me the stone!” Ed yelled, dropping beside the whimpering man and yanking his good hand up to look at the ring with the odd red stone he noticed when entering the room, as well as during his miracle performance. The rock attached to the ring suddenly broke off, hitting the ground and crumpling to dust. Ed stared at the spot it shattered, before turning slowly back on Cornello. “It... was a fake?” He hissed. Cornello shrank back as the boy suddenly became much more threatening. “I travel all the way to this scorching hot town, put up with your fake miracle bull crap, and it turns out it was a fake... all this time!?” 

“I-I didn’t know it was a fake!” Cornello whimpered, pulling away as fast as possible.

“GAHHHHH!!!!!!!” Ed shrieked, slamming his hands into the wood, manipulating it into a giant fist and directing it straight at Cornello, who’s screaming rose an extra octave. It easily missed him though, but Cornello already passed out from fear alone. Ed remained crumpled on the floor for a few seconds more before finally rising to his feet and making his way over to Al. He then proceeded to collapse against his side and bury his face in his brothers soft wings. “‘M s’rry Al. ‘T’s a f’ke,” he mumbled pathetically into his wings.

Al sighed, resting his head gently on his older brothers head reassuringly, “I know, I witnessed the whole thing. Looks like we need to keep looking.”

“So you’re just going to leave?” Rose asked. Both brothers turned to her, her knees wobbling before she collapsed on the ground. “What am I suppose to believe in now?” She whispered. “What am I going to do?!” She spoke louder. “Are you going to tell me what to do?!” She shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at Ed. Ed shrugged on his cloak and made his way to the door. “Well? ARE YOU?!”

“You need to figure that out on your own. Stand up and walk. Keep going forward. At least you have strong legs to take you there,” he said, then left the room. Al quickly followed, but looked back at Rose before trailing after his brother and reactivating his illusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wonderful comments! I love opening my emails and seeing that I got a new comment and then gushing about it! 
> 
> I’m glad people like my work, and it honestly makes my love a whole lot brighter seeing the joy people get from finding a fanfic they enjoy! 
> 
> (I myself get super happy when I find a fanfic that I have searched day and night for! I personally searched for a dragon al fic but mostly found things tagged as incest...)


	6. To the next city

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang runs into the pair on their way to the central kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha. So this chapter is short. And took a long time to update. Oops. I tend to jump from fanfic to fanfic so sometimes some are forgotten to be updated... but I do eventually update!

The two brothers turned around the corner, heading towards the east central city building as they talked in hushed voices. Roy managed to catch the last of their conversation. 

“I don’t WANT to see that jerk, he’s going to undermine me and force me to do paperwork because we found another dead end! I don’t like giving him the satisfaction of getting what he wants- ah shit there he is,” Ed hissed. Al looked up, meeting Roy’s eyes.

Roy flinched back as he noted the dragon, while the illusion was still in effect, he already knew Al was a dragon and therefore the illusion had no effect on him. Guilt bubbled inside of him as he saw Al bow his head and look away, knowing he hit a nerve. Roy knew that Al would never hurt anyone despite his form, he was too pure hearted to try.

But dragons always put him on edge ever since the war in Ishval. He could barely meet Al’s eyes at times. It always seemed to distress Al as well, a reminder of what body he was stuck in and what people will always see.

Ed barely acknowledged his flinch at Al’s presence as he strode up to him, looking tired and annoyed. “Alright, so my report is I found a fake priest who lied to everyone in Reole and was planning and turning the people into his own personal soldiers. Al and I exposed them, and all we need now are possible reinforcements to prevent the angry townsfolk from starting a revolt” Ed quickly summed up.

“I see you didn’t find the philosopher stone that was rumoured in that town,” Roy noted, slyly looking down at the boy. Ed tensed under his gaze.

“We found a fake. It was destroyed during our little ‘scuffle’,” he hissed.

Roy hummed as he turned around and headed towards the building. “Then I expect all the details on your full report of your mission,” Mustang grinned.

“I’m not writing down the things I just told you just to watch you throw them in the trash!” Ed barked.

“It’s your job, I expect the report to be placed in my quarters by tomorrow!” He smirked before disappearing into the building. He could head the blonde screaming a wide range of curses as he closed the door behind him, causing him to wonder how that kid managed to survive this long by being so stubborn.

“Sir.”

Roy shrieked and jumped before twisting around and facing Hawkeye, his hand posed and ready to activate his flame alchemy. “H-Hawkeye!” He stammered, then quickly collected himself and straightened his cloak. “I told you not to sneak up on me like that.”

“I didn’t sneak Sir, I was quite loud in fact that even someone who was deaf would know I’m present,” Hawkeye calmly replied. Her insult stabbed him in the back as he made his way to his office.

“What is it that you need then?” Roy asked.

She handed him a hand-drawn poster, a warning about a string of murders and instructions on taking caution when traveling at night. “Another Council Sorcerer has been murdered sir. The Silver-Fang Sorcerer was found dead a few days ago, he bore the same injuries as the past murders. Anything internal being forced to become external,” Hawkeye reported.

Roy leaned back in his chair with a sigh, “same description? Dark skinned, white hair, and a distinctive ‘x’ scar on his face?”

“Yes sir,” Hawkeye confirmed.

“That’s the 18th Councillor,” Roy huffed as he pulled out the parchment containing previous reports on the matter. “And these are no small feats either, these sorcerers are powerful enough to take down kingdoms on their own...”

“Sir, the reports have been getting closer and closer to central,” Hawkeye noted, looking up from the parchment paper.

“And?” Roy asked.

“Well sir, you are transferring there in a few days, as well as Fullmetal will be headed in that direction soon as his annual evaluation quickly approaches,” Hawkeye answered cooly, turning to leave the room. “If he manages to make it to central, where many sorcerers and sorceresses tend to gather, he may cause a problem you would need to deal with. Not to mention that Fullmetal is also a Sorcerer, so he very well could be a target for Scar.

Roy leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face as he ran through possible outcomes. “I understand your concern, but remember that Fullmetal has a DRAGON guarding him at all times. I doubt even Scar would fail to take down Fullmetal with Al close by.

Hawkeye was nearly out of the room as she turned slightly towards him, “while Al may be a Dragon, he is also a young one, a fledgling. He isn’t as powerful as the adults we faced in Ishval.” Roy narrowed his gaze, but said nothing in response. “Oh, and sir?” Hawkeye stopped and took one more glance at the Flame Sorcerer. “While I understand your fear, I suggest finding a way to see Al as more than just a Beast. He notices when you flinch, as well as when you refuse to make eye contact.” With that, she left the room.

Roy sighed as he heaved himself out of his chair and slowly made his way to the window overlooking the east city. He noticed Ed was just leaving the building, probably finished a half ass report. The boy waved over his younger brother, who quickly made his way over and clung close to his side as they made their way to the gates of the city, probably heading to the road that led to central city. He noticed the way Al tucked his tail and wings close to his body, and hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, making his illusion of a wolf much easier to hold. Dragons shouldn’t be able to use alchemy, yet Al could’ve been the only exception.

Hawkeye was right. He needed to stop seeing Al as the enemy.

But he couldn’t.

He could remember everything too clearly, the screaming, the roaring, and the crackle of fire. He could hear the crunch of bones as strong jaws clamped down on delicate human limbs, rage filled, reptilian eyes, the pupils nothing more than slits as they focused on their prey. 

Roy stumbled away from the window, trying to suppress the unwelcome memories as they resurfaced. 

Al wasn’t a beast. But he still looked like one. 

Guilt flooded his system as he regained control over his thoughts and slunk back in his chair. The young fledgling didn’t deserve being thought of as a monster... he knew that. 

Roy leaned over the stack of parchment on his desk. He would have to tackle his demons another day, a day when he could finally face Al and look him in the eye without fear, regret, or anger.

————

Ed struggled with the map, twisting it as he tried navigating his way through the city. “Which way is west??” He asked, looking up at Al who scanned the crowd around them.

“That way,” Al quickly answered twisting his head to the right. Ed shoved the map into a crumpled mess in his bag and grinned.

“Then that’s the way to the west gate and the main road to Central! Come on! Let’s get on the road before it gets too dark, I want to put some distance between us and that hot head!” Ed exclaimed as he quickened his pace.

Al worriedly looked behind him as he matched his older brothers pace, “Ed? Do you think... that Counciller Mustang hates me?”

Ed stopped in his tracks and turned to his younger brother. He saw the way Mustang would advert his gaze when meeting them, and the subtle flinch whenever Al would move suddenly. Ed fell into a relaxed posture, “I don’t think he hates you,” he answered. “It more or less seems unintentional. He could have had bad experiences with Dragons in his past.”

“Then... do you think he believes I might attack him?” Al questioned.

“Geez Al, I just told you it seems unintentional. I think he doesn’t see you as a threat or a danger, he just can’t help some of his movements. You have nothing to worry about,” Ed tried to reason. But Al didn’t seem fully convinced. “Look... you won’t need to worry about that for that much longer! We will find the Philosopher Stone and reverse the curses effects, then you won’t have to worry any more!”

Al brightened up a bit, “I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed!”

“That’s the spirit!” Ed grinned. He heavily patted his younger brother’s side as they started walking again. “I want you to remember that you are still Al, even if you have the body of a Dragon. Nothing will ever change the fact that you are still you,” Ed hummed in a bit more seriously.

“Thanks Big Brother,” Al smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you fought dragons, then you would be pretty freaked out around them too, even if you knew full well that they would never actually hurt you.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehehehe how is it so far?? Like it??


End file.
